Want to create your own rental business?

potter&dabble started with a fairly simple thought: what if people could rent a pottery wheel and make pottery at home?

Then came everything that sits behind the idea — pricing, bookings, availability, deposits, delivery, customer emails, website content, terms, processes and working out how to make the whole experience easy for the person renting and the person running the business.

I built potter&dabble from the ground up and learnt an enormous amount along the way.

Now, through my other business Pontoon Thread, I can help you turn your own rental idea into something real.

You don’t need to arrive with a business plan, logo, website or even all the answers.

Sometimes you just need somewhere to start.

From an idea to an online rental business

Maybe you’ve spotted something people would rather rent than buy.

Or perhaps you’ve had an idea sitting in the back of your mind for years and have no idea whether it could actually work or whether software now exists to turn your idea into reality.

That’s where I can help.

We can work through the business as a whole — not just the website.

Who will rent it?
What should you charge?
How will bookings work?
What happens at collection or delivery?
What information will customers need?
Which technology actually suits the business?
We will also look at the brand behind the idea, what it will look like, what it will represent and how to bring if to life

Choosing the right platform

There isn’t one perfect rental-business setup.

I built potter&dabble using Booqable, so I understand the platform from actually running a rental business on it — not simply setting up a demo account.

For some rental businesses, Booqable may be exactly the right answer.

For others, a Shopify website may provide more flexibility around content, products, ecommerce and the wider business.

And sometimes the best answer may be a combination of tools.

I can help you step back and work out what actually fits your business, rather than choosing technology first and trying to make everything else fit around it.

Then I can help you build it.

Before starting potter&dabble, I spent four years as Brand Manager for Avis Budget Rental Group in New Zealand.

That gave me experience inside a large, established rental business — customer journeys, marketing, systems, operational realities and the importance of making the rental process easy.

Then I built potter&dabble.

Doing it as a small business owner taught me something completely different: every dollar matters, every system needs to be manageable, and there is no large team sitting behind you when something needs doing.

That combination is what I bring to your rental idea.

What I can help with

The business idea

Clarifying what you are renting, who it is for and why somebody would choose to rent from you.

Pricing and your offer

Rental periods, pricing, deposits, packages, add-ons and what makes commercial sense.

Brand and messaging

Business naming, logo direction, positioning and finding the words that explain what makes your idea worth choosing.

Website build

I can help build your rental website using Booqable or Shopify, depending on what makes sense for the business.

Booking setup

Products, availability, booking flow and the practical systems sitting behind the customer experience.

Customer experience

Thinking through everything from the first website visit to collection, delivery, instructions, returns and repeat business.

Systems and processes

Creating simple ways of working so you don’t have to reinvent the process every time somebody makes a booking.

AI, Canva and practical technology

Helping you use accessible tools to create content, communicate with customers and run the business more efficiently.

Training

I don’t want you to have to call me every time you need to change a price, add a product or update your website. I can show you how everything works so you can confidently manage it yourself. And if you do need me, I am only a phone or email away.

Discover → Distil → Equip

Discover
Understand the idea, the customer and what you are trying to create.

Distil
Strip away the noise and work out what actually matters — including what needs doing now and what can wait.

Equip
Build what you need, set up the right tools and teach you how to keep it moving.

You might need one conversation to work out whether the idea stacks up.

You might want help building the whole business.

Or you might come back when you reach the next hurdle.

That’s completely fine.

Every business has a thread.

A rental business might look simple from the outside:

Something to rent + a website = a rental business.

But underneath it is a thread connecting the customer, the offer, the pricing, the systems, the booking experience and the reason somebody chooses you.

Finding that thread early makes everything else easier.

Got a rental idea?

Tell me about it.

Louise | Pontoon Thread
Find clarity. Move forward.
[email protected] | 021 252 3771